The paint applicators of the roller type were disclosed in 1961 by U.S. Pat. No. 2,972,158 issued to Voskresenski. Since their introduction and subsequent availability to the general public there has been a prevailing problem that the roller does not adequately paint to the end of the wall at the corner junction of a room. To solve this problem attempts have been made to incorporate an end brush to the roller. The brushes disclosed by the prior art are limited to the bristle type which have an inherent dripping problem and are not cost-effective because of the complex modifications that must be made to the paint roller to accept the brush. The flexible paint rollers disclosed by the prior art are also of complex design and construction. Both the end brush and flexible roller disclosed do not offer the flexibility and ease of operation provided by the instant invention.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that directly read on the instant invention. However, the following two U.S. patents were determined to be related:
______________________________________ U.S. PAT. NO. INVENTOR ISSUED ______________________________________ 3,394,423 Bischoff 30 July 1968 2,959,800 Bischoff 15 November 1960 ______________________________________
The first Bischoff patent (U.S. Pat. No. 2,959,800) discloses a design of a brush and a snap-on means for attaching the brush to the paint roller axle which at the same time holds the brush in assembly with the paint roller. The second Bischoff patent (U.S. Pat. No. 3,394,423) discloses a flexible paint roller containing a cluster of bristles attached to the periphery of a paint roller and extending beyond the free end of the roller.